Extraction device for removing an adapter secured in a port

ABSTRACT

This disclosure relates generally to couplings used in mining and other applications. An extraction device for removing an adapter from a port formed in a structure is provided. The extraction device may include an end wall and a side wall. The end wall may define an external face of the extraction device. The side wall may extend axially away from a periphery of the end wall. The side wall may terminate at an end face of the extraction device. The end face may have a larger dimension than the port so as to abut the structure adjacent to a periphery of the port. The side wall may include an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface may have a threaded portion.

BACKGROUND Field

This disclosure relates generally to couplings for mining and otherapplications, and more particularly to a device that removes an adapterfrom a port.

Related Art

Adapters are commonly used in mining and other applications to coupletogether various types of hoses, tubing, pipe, manifolds, and othersuitable structures. The adapters may be difficult to disconnect orremove from the structure to which they are attached due to variousfactors including debris, corrosion, and mechanical interference betweenthe components. To remove an adapter from an associated structure, fieldpersonnel often resort to physical force applied by chisels, hammers, orother readily available tools, which frequently damage the adapters andmay be a time consuming process. Further, the resulting damage to theadapters, such as cracks, may be undetected and result in catastrophicfailure of the coupling assembly if the adapter is used in futureapplications.

Mention is made of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,109, filedNov. 13, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,803,783 entitled “Hand TightenedHydraulic Fitting”.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods forremoving an adapter secured in a port. Examples of the disclosure mayinclude an extraction device for removing an adapter from a port formedin a structure. The extraction device may include an end wall and a sidewall. The end wall may define an external face of the extraction device.The side wall may extend axially away from a periphery of the end walland terminate at an end face of the extraction device. The end face ofthe side wall may have a larger dimension than the port so as to abutthe structure adjacent to a periphery of the port. The side wall mayinclude an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface mayinclude a threaded portion.

The inner surface of the side wall may include a leading non-threadedportion extending between the end face and the threaded portion. Theinner surface may include a trailing non-threaded portion extendingbetween the threaded portion and the end wall. The leading and trailingnon-threaded portions may be substantially cylindrical. The threadedportion may include a major diameter that is radially aligned with theleading non-threaded portion.

The outer surface of the side wall may define a shoulder orientedtransversely to a longitudinal axis of the extraction device. Theshoulder may be annular. The end wall may close one end of the sidewall. The extraction device may include a keyed engagement feature,which may be a hex nut that projects axially away from the end wall.

In another example, an extraction device for removing an adapter from aport in a structure is provided. The adapter may include a first portionreceived within the port and a second portion protruding from the port.The second portion may include an external thread. The device mayinclude an axially-extending side wall that defines an inner space thatreceives the second portion of the adapter. The side wall may include anend face that abuts a portion of the structure surrounding the port andan internal thread that threadedly engages the external thread of theadapter prior to abutment of the end face with the structure. Theextraction device may be operable to axially pull the adapter from theport.

The extraction device may include an end wall that extends inwardly fromthe side wall. The end wall may define an external face that opposes theend face. The end wall may define a closed end of the side wall. Theextraction device may include an engagement feature that is associatedwith the end wall and axially aligned with a longitudinal axis of theextraction device. The side wall may include an internal non-threadedportion that extends between the internal thread and the end wall. Theside wall may include an external annular shoulder. The side wall may besubstantially cylindrical. The first portion of the adapter may includemultiple facets that collectively extend around an entire periphery ofthe adapter.

In another example, a method of removing an adapter from a port definedby a structure is provided. The method may include positioning anextraction device around a portion of the adapter, threadedly engagingan internal thread of the extraction device with an external thread ofthe adapter by rotating the extraction device about the adapter,abutting a leading edge of the extraction device against an externalface of the structure, and axially extracting the adapter at leastpartially from the port by continuing to rotate the extraction deviceabout the adapter after the leading edge of the extraction device isabutted against the external face of the structure.

The method further may include advancing the extraction device axiallyalong the adapter toward the structure prior to abutting the leadingedge against the structure by continuing to rotate the extraction deviceabout the adapter. The method further may include engaging an externalannular shoulder of the extraction device to move the extraction deviceaxially away from the structure.

This summary of the disclosure is given to aid understanding, and one ofskill in the art will understand that each of the various aspects andfeatures of the disclosure may advantageously be used separately in someinstances, or in combination with other aspects and features of thedisclosure in other instances. Accordingly, while the disclosure ispresented in terms of examples, it should be appreciated that individualaspects of any example can be claimed separately or in combination withaspects and features of that example or any other example.

This summary is neither intended nor should it be construed as beingrepresentative of the full extent and scope of the present disclosure.The present disclosure is set forth in various levels of detail in thisapplication and no limitation as to the scope of the claimed subjectmatter is intended by either the inclusion or non-inclusion of elements,components, or the like in this summary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part ofthe specification in which like numerals designate like parts,illustrate examples of the present disclosure and together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an example coupling system.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the coupling system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the coupling system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cut-away view of the coupling system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another example coupling system.

FIG. 6 is a cut-away view of a male portion and retaining memberaccording to another example coupling system.

FIG. 7 is a partially fragmented view of another example couplingsystem.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of an example adapter.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the adapter shown in FIG. 8 positioned ina port defined by a manifold.

FIG. 10 is a crosswise section view of the adapter, the manifold, andthe retaining member of FIG. 9 taken along the line 10-10 as shown inFIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a partially exploded view of the adapter, the manifold, andthe retaining member of FIG. 9, with an extraction device axiallyseparated from the exposed portion of the adapter.

FIG. 12 is a partially exploded view of the components of FIG. 11, withthe extraction device threaded onto the external thread of the adapter.

FIG. 13 is a lengthwise section view of the extraction device of FIG. 11taken along the line 13-13 as shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 14 is a lengthwise section view of the components of FIG. 11 takenalong the line 14-14 as shown in FIG. 12.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are representative section views similar to that of FIG.14, showing the adapter in various stages of removal.

FIG. 17 is a partially exploded view of the components of FIG. 11 withthe adapter positioned in the extraction device and removed from themanifold.

FIG. 18 is an isometric view of the extraction device of FIG. 11 with amodified engagement feature.

FIG. 19 is an isometric view of the extraction device of FIG. 11 with adifferent engagement feature.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure generally is broken into two sections. FIGS. 1-7generally relate to a threaded coupling system including a male portion,a female portion, and a retaining member that draws the male and femaleportions into sealing engagement with one another when the retainingmember is threadingly engaged with one of the male or female portions. Alocking member may secure the retaining member to the one of the male orfemale portions to positively lock the male and female portionstogether. Either or both of the male and female portions may be coupledto a receiving structure. FIGS. 8-17 generally relate to a device thataxially extracts an externally-threaded male and/or female portion(generally referred to as an adapter) from a receiving structure.

A coupling system 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The coupling system 100 mayinclude a male portion 110, a female portion 120, a retaining member130, and a locking member 140. An alternate locking member 150 may alsobe included in the system 100.

The male portion 110 may include an insert portion 112, a boss 114, anda hose receiving portion 116. The female portion 120 may include areceptacle portion 122, threads 124, a ridge 125, an engagement section126, a locking groove 127, and a connection portion 128. The retainingmember 130 may include threads 132, an abutment portion 134, a retainerorifice(s) 136, a lip 137, knurling 138, and an engagement section 139.

The insert portion 112 of the male portion 110 may be coupled with thereceptacle portion 122 of the female portion 120 in anon-interference-type fit. The boss 114 may provide a stop or may beadjacent to or abut the female portion 120. A seal may be createdbetween the male portion 110 and the female portion 120, preferablybetween their cylindrical surfaces. The seal may allow fluid to passthrough the male and female portions 110, 120 without leakage.

The female portion 120 may include a seal groove 129, which may becapable of retaining a seal such as an O-ring (not shown). Thisconfiguration may enhance the sealing ability of the coupling system100. Additionally or alternately, a seal groove capable of retaining aseal such as an O-ring may be included on the male insert portion 112.Optionally, a dust seal (not shown) may be included near the ridge 125,the groove 127, or the abutment portion 134, for example, in order tokeep foreign matter out of the threads. It should be understood that theridge 125, the groove 127, and the lip 137 are optional and may beomitted or reconfigured as desired provided the requisite lockingfunctionality is present.

The retaining member 130 may slide over the male portion 110, such thatthe threads 132 of the retaining member 130 may engage correspondingthreads 124 of the female portion 120. The male portion 110 may extendthrough the retaining member 130. The boss 114 of the male portion 110may contact the abutment portion 134 of the retaining member 130. Thismay secure together the male portion 110, the female portion 120 and theretaining member 130, and may enhance the sealing between the maleportion 110 and the female portion 120. Once the male portion, thefemale portion 120, and the retaining member 130 are secured together,the extension 142 of the locking member 140 may extend through theretainer orifice 136 of the retaining member 130 and engage the femaleportion 120 at the locking groove 127 such that the retaining member 130may not uncouple from the female portion 120.

The retaining member 130 may be hand tightened, but if there is anapplication that requires the male portion 110 and the female portion120 to be locked against a possible live swivel, torque may be appliedto the retaining member 130 similar to other threaded connection systemsand methods. For a faster connection, multiple-start threads may beused.

The locking member 140 may include an indication portion 146 that may bea visible color such as red, to indicate the coupling system 100 isengaged. This may be used as a safety indicator and/or lockout toindicate if the coupling system is engaged and able to withstandpressure.

Furthermore, the locking member 140 may be of different configurations,such as the locking member 150. The locking member 150 may include anextrusion 152 which may be capable of extending through a retainerorifice 136 to engage the locking groove 127 of the female portion 120to generally secure the retaining member 130 to other portions of thesystem. The locking member 150 may also include the indication portion154 which be made to be a visible color and/or configuration such asred, to indicate the coupling system 100 is engaged, for safety and/orother reasons.

In various embodiments, the locking member may be in the form of aspecial clip, staple, a snap-in button, or a wire threaded through thenut. This locking feature may not be able to be applied until thethreads are fully-engaged, so it may be very clear by visual inspectionas to whether a connection is properly made.

Referring to FIG. 5, holes 236 may be drilled or formed roughly tangentto the locking groove 127 within the retaining member 230. A plastic ormetal wire tie 240 or other locking member may be threaded through theholes 236, engaging both the locking groove 127 and a locking groove inthe retaining member 230 (not visible), thereby keeping the retainingmember 230 from backing off and providing a visual indication of aproper connection. The wire cable tie 240 shown in FIG. 5 is in the formof a cable seal which may be designed for single use (cut to remove) ormultiple use. A seal or tag 246 provides further visual indication of aproper connection and may be labeled for various identification orrecord-keeping purposes. Likewise other kinds of metal or plastic tiesor seals may be utilized which may be for single or multiple use, withor without an identification tag,

The coupling system 100 may be a coarse-thread connector that may behand-tightened, having a locking feature that keeps the retaining member130 from backing off, and may further provide a visual indication of aproper connection via the indication portion 146, 154, 246 of thelocking member 140, 150, 240. Because the seal is generally along acylinder, or between two cylinders, preload may not be required in theretaining member 130, and it may not have a torque load requirement.Thus hand-tightening may be sufficient to fully engage the coupling andwithstand the design pressure.

Once tightened, a visible locking feature (locking member 140, 150, 240)may be applied. Therefore, this coupling system 100 may provide a visualindicator of a proper connection. An advantage is a threaded retainingmember 130, which provides a mechanical advantage to draw the sealingcylinder in and out of the female portion 120 for connection andremoval.

The male portion 110 may include a hose receiving portion 116, which maybe capable of receiving, and coupling to, a hose, manifold or othersystem or apparatus. In the example of attaching to a hose, the hosereceiving portion 116 may be generally in the form of a barb or otherconfiguration capable of coupling to a hose. The portion 116 may alsoinclude an engagement section to allow torque to be applied to the maleportion 110.

The female portion 120 may include a connection portion 128 that may becapable of coupling to a hose or manifold or other suitable structure.It will be appreciated that the connection portion 128 may be of manyforms to couple to various hoses and other structures. The femaleportion 120 may include an engagement portion 126 to allow torque to beapplied to the female portion 120.

The retaining member 130 may include knurling 138 or similar surfacemodification, which may enhance gripping and turning of the retainingmember 130, especially during hand tightening. The retaining member 130may include engagement or wrenching adaptations such as a hex, holes,slots, flats, or orifices 139 as shown, which are capable of receiving awrench or other tool used to tighten/loosen and/or generally applytorque to the retaining member 130.

FIG. 2 shows the coupling system 100 with the retaining member 130 slidover the male portion 110, before coupling to the female portion 120.FIG. 3 shows the coupling system 100 fully engaged with the retainingmember 130 coupling together the male portion 110 and the female portion120, with the locking member 140 extending through the retainer orifices136 and engaging the locking groove 127 (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a cut away view of a portion of the coupling system 100. Ascan be seen in this example, the retaining member 130 includes threads132 which threadingly engage threads 124 of the female portion 120. Thisconfiguration does not allow the retaining member 130 to unthread fromthe female portion 120 when the locking member 140 is in place betweenthe lip 137 and the side of the groove 127 near the threads 124.

The insert portion 112 of the male portion 110 generally fits within,and is coupled to, the receptacle portion 124 of the female portion 120.A first side of the boss 114 may generally abut and/or be adjacent tothe female portion 120. A second side of the boss 114 may abut orgenerally be adjacent to the abutment portion 134 of the retainingmember 130. The threading of the retaining member 130 with the femaleportion 120 may move and/or generally secure the male portion 110 to thefemale portion 120 and the retaining member 130, via the abutmentportion 134.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example coupling system 200. The couplingsystem 200 includes a male portion 210 coupled to a female portion 220,and held together by a retaining member 230. As discussed above, thelocking member 240 may be a cable seal having a cable 242 routed throughtangential holes 236 and a seal or tag 246 preventing unwanted removaland providing additional visual indication the coupling is secure. Theengagement feature 239 on the retaining member 230 takes the form of aseries of notches which may be suitable for use of a spanner wrench. Theengagement feature 226 on the female portion 220 takes the form of a hexnut. Retainer orifices in the form of tangential holes 236 are alsoshown on the retaining member 230 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 shows another example coupling system with a male portion 310having a hose receiving portion that includes a hose barb 312 and aferrule 317. The retaining member 230 may be slid over the male portioninto the position shown. Then the ferrule 317 may be staked or swaged orotherwise attached in place as shown. The rear face 234 of the retainingmember 230 may be in fairly close proximity to and opposes the frontface 334 of the ferrule. Thus, when the retaining member 230 isunthreaded from a coupled female portion, the rear face 234 may abut thefront face 334 and thereby draw the male portion 310 out of the femaleportion, thus disconnecting the coupling. Other arrangements forconnection to pipes, hoses, or manifolds may be envisioned which providethe abutment needed to draw the male portion out of the female portionwhen the retaining member is unthreaded, such as a two-piece,stake-collar and ferrule arrangement. On the other hand, the hosereceiving portion may be threaded for receiving a hydraulic fitting withmating threads. Generally, if the threads are male threads on the hosereceiving portion, any mating female fitting that connects via such malethreads on the connection portion may have a face equivalent to face 334which may abut the end 234 of the retaining portion and thus facilitatedisconnection. As an alternate to relying on connected fittings, theremay instead be a C-clip or other retaining clip or feature attached tothe male portion which is specifically adapted to abut the end 234 ofretaining portion 230 in order to facilitate disconnection of thecoupling.

FIG. 7 shows a coupling system in which the external threads whichcorrespond to the retaining member are on the male portion. In FIG. 7, acoupling system 400 includes a male portion 410, a female portion 420,and a retaining member 430. The female portion 420 has a receptacleportion 422. An insert portion 412 of the male portion 410 fits into thereceptacle portion 422 with an O-ring 425 housed in a seal retaininggroove 429 on the insert portion 412. The O-ring thus provides a sealbetween the male and female portions 410, 420. The retaining member 430has internal threads 432 which mate with external threads 424 on themale portion 410. The retaining member 430 has an abutment portion 434which abuts a boss 414 when the retaining member 430 is slipped over thefemale portion 420. Thus when the retaining member 430 is threadinglyengaged with the threads 424 on the male portion 410, the male portionmay be drawn into sealing engagement with the female portion 420. Whenfully engaged, the locking member 240, shown as a cable tie, may beinserted through holes or openings or orifices in the retaining member430 and thus routed around the coupling in a passageway defined by orbetween a groove 427 on the male portion 410 and a lip 437 on theretaining member 430. Note that features shown in other examples may beadapted for this example and vice versa, including seal placement(s) andtype(s), hose receiving portion(s), connection portion(s), engagementsection(s) or portion(s), knurling, orifice style, locking member type,and indication portion.

In use, to connect an example coupling system, the retaining member maybe hand-tightened to pull the male portion into the female portion withthe seal there between. To keep the retaining member from backing off,the cable tie or other locking member is inserted through holes in theretaining member into a groove in the female portion (or male portion,depending on the example) and locked. To disconnect, the cable may becut and/or pulled out and removed so that the retaining member can beloosened. Unlike conventional staple-lock mine couplings, for example,the cable or locking member does not carry the pressure load. Thethreads carry the pressure load and therefore the design is capable ofmuch higher pressure rating than a staple-lock coupling of similardiameter. If the retaining member happens to back off enough duringoperation to resist the locking member pulling out, simply tighteningthe retaining member farther will eliminate this resistance. Once thecable (or other locking device) is removed, loosening or unthreading theretaining member may separate the fitting. If necessary, a spannerwrench or other suitable tool may be used to turn the retaining memberand release the fitting. The threaded retaining member may even provideenough mechanical advantage to overcome the resistance of debris andcorrosion present at assembly or disassembly by hand.

The provided coupling system may overcome many issues of other threadedconnections, such as assuring adequate preload in the retaining memberto overcome the pressure load, easily damaged threads, and having novisual indication of complete connection. It also overcomes issues innon-threaded designs, such as high insertion force, unprotected seals,poor impulse performance, and installation of heavy locking devices suchas hammer unions, clamshells, or thick staples. The advantages of theinvention include the ease of hand tightening or loosening, the greatersafety factor of threads over conventional staples, no torque requiredto seal and hold, and less mass required to achieve a given rating.Furthermore, this system may be used with lower pressure systems. Thismay allow the use of less expensive materials and configurations. Thesystem may be configured to connect hose, pipes, fittings, manifolds, orthe like. Systems disclosed herein may be used with, but are not limitedto, 2-4″ chemical hose, and/or with volume control regulators. Thecoupling system offers advantages over hammer unions in the oil fieldindustry, including those used for cementing hose, slim hole rotaryhose, and the like. It should be noted that other types of lockingmethods may optionally be used instead of the preferred locking memberdescribed above. For example, the locking member could be a c-clipinserted in a suitable groove adjacent a suitable flange. The lockingmethod could be a frictional engagement, or it could be a bayonet styleengagement or a latch, or multiple bayonets or latches.

In mining and other applications, externally-threaded male and/or femaleportions (generally referred to as adapters) may be positioned at leastpartially within a port formed in a receiving structure, such as afemale connector, a manifold, or any other suitable receiving structure.A staple may be used to secure the adapter to the receiving structure.During insertion and/or operation, the staple may deform a flangeassociated with the adapter, thereby creating mechanical interferencebetween the adapter and the receiving structure. The staple also maycause plating damage to the adapter and/or receiving structure, whichmay result in the formation of rust between the adapter and thereceiving structure. These and other factors may increase the difficultyof removing the adapter from the receiving structure, which may beneeded to replace seals and/or generally inspect the condition of theadapter and receiving structure.

To facilitate separation of the adapter from the receiving structure, anextraction device may be used to axially extract the adapter from theport. The device may be threaded onto a protruding portion of theadapter until an end face of the device contacts the receivingstructure. After abutment of the end face of the device with aconfronting face of the receiving structure, further rotation of thedevice about the adapter draws the adapter from the port. The threadedengagement of the device and the adapter may provide a mechanicaladvantage that facilitates extraction of the adapter from the receivingstructure.

The extraction device may reduce the removal time of the adapter fromthe receiving structure, as well as reduce the likelihood of damagingthe adapter or the receiving structure, thereby decreasing equipmentdowntime. The extraction device may include an internal thread that isaxially spaced apart from an end face or leading edge of the device. Theaxial spacing of the internal thread from the leading edge may bedimensioned to ensure sufficient thread engagement with the adapterprior to abutment of the leading edge of the device against thereceiving structure, thereby reducing the relative rotation between thedevice and the adapter prior to abutment, which may decrease theextraction effort and time. The device may include a hexagon or otherengagement feature that interfaces with an impact wrench or otherwrenching device to quickly and easily remove the adapter from thereceiving structure.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of an adapter 520 that may be usedinterchangeably with the previously discussed coupling systems. With theexception of the connection portion 528, the adapter 520 depicted inFIGS. 8-11 and 14-17 generally has the same features and operation asthe previously discussed female portions 120, 220 depicted in FIGS. 1-7.Accordingly, the preceding discussion of the features and operation ofthe female portions 120, 220 depicted in FIGS. 1-7 is generallyapplicable to the adapter 520 depicted in FIGS. 8-11 and 14-17, exceptas noted in the following discussion.

Referring to FIG. 8, similar to the previously discussed female portions120, 220, the adapter 520 may include a first or receptacle portion 522for receiving an insert portion 112 of a male portion 110, 210, 310, anda seal groove 529 for receiving a seal. Also similar to the previouslydiscussed female portions 120, 220, the adapter 520 may include anexternal thread 524 that terminates at a ridge 525. The external thread524 may matingly engage an internal thread 132, 432 of a retainingmember 130, 230, 430, which may threadedly secure the male portion 110,210, 310 and the adapter 520 together. The retaining member 130, 230,430 may receive a locking member 140, 150, 240 to positively lock themale portion 110, 210, 310 and the adapter 520 together. The adapter 520may be referred to as a connector, coupler, or fitting.

With continued reference to FIG. 8, the adapter 520 may include aconnection portion 528. The connection portion 528 may include a lockingor retaining member engagement feature 526 positioned axially between aradial face 556 of an annular shoulder 557 and a radial face 558 of anannular flange 559. The retaining member engagement feature 526 mayinclude multiple facets or flats 526 a angled relative to one another.The facets 526 a may collectively extend around an entire periphery ofthe adapter 520 axially between the radial faces 556, 558. In oneexample, the retaining member engagement feature 526 includes six facets526 a (see FIG. 10), although other number of facets 526 a may be used.The connection portion 528 may include an external annular seal groove560.

With reference to FIG. 14, when the adapter 520 is associated with areceiving structure, a first portion 521 of the adapter 520 may bereceived within a receiving structure, and a second portion 523 of theadapter 520 may protrude from the receiving structure. The first portion521 of the adapter 520 may include an end face 520 b, the retainingmember engagement feature 526, the shoulder 557, the flange 559, and aseal or sealing element 594 positioned in the annular seal groove 560(see FIGS. 8 and 14). The second portion 523 of the adapter 520 mayinclude an end face 520 a, the externally-threaded portion 524, and theridge 525 (see FIGS. 8, 9, and 14).

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the adapter 520 shown in FIG. 8positioned in one example of a receiving structure, in this instance amanifold 564 that defines multiple ports 562. Each port 562 may openthrough a top surface or wall 564 a of the manifold 564 and may receivean individual adapter 520. The ports 562 may vary from one another, forexample in diameter and/or length, to accommodate differently sizedadapters 520. The manifold 564 may be attached to any of a variety ofequipment and may receive multiple adapters. Each adapter may be coupledto a fluid conduit, such as a hydraulic hose, that transports fluidbetween the manifold 564 and a component remotely attached to arespective piece of equipment. The manifold 564 may include opposingside surfaces or walls 564 b, 564 c, which may define multiple pairs ofspaced apart bores 566 that extend through the opposing side walls 564b, 564 c. The bores 566 may extend substantially parallel to each other.The bores 566 may extend transversely to a corresponding manifold port562 and may intersect the peripheral edges of the corresponding port562. The bores 566 may receive a locking or retaining member 540 thatsecures the adapter 520 to the manifold 564.

FIG. 10 is a section view of the adapter 520, the manifold 564, and theretaining member 540. As shown in FIG. 10, when the adapter 520 isreceived in one of the manifold ports 562, the retaining memberengagement feature 526 of the adapter 520 may be positioned at theappropriate height relative to the bores 566 so that the arms 542 of theretaining member 540 extend past the adapter 520. Each arm 542 of theretaining member 540 may engage an opposing flat 526 a of the retainingmember engagement feature 526. The engagement of the arms 542 and theopposing flats 526 a may prevent or substantially prevent rotation ofthe adapter 520 about a longitudinal axis 568 (see FIG. 9) relative tothe manifold 564. Additionally, the arms 542 may be positioned axiallybetween the radial faces 556, 558 of the adapter 520 (see FIGS. 8 and14), which may prevent or substantially prevent axial displacement ofthe adapter 520 along the longitudinal axis 568 (see FIG. 9) relative tothe manifold 564. The arms 542 may flare away from one other at theirfree ends 542 a (see FIG. 10) to assist in retaining the retainingmember 540 within the bores 566.

In one example, the retaining member 540 may be removed from the bores566 with a pry tool, such as a flat head screwdriver or pry bar. The prytool may be inserted into a gap 570 between an interconnectingtransverse member 546 of the retaining member 540 and the manifold 564.The pry tool may be used as a lever to separate the retaining member 540from the manifold 564.

FIG. 11 is a partially exploded view of the adapter 520, the manifold564, and the retaining member 540 with an extraction device 572 spacedaxially apart from the adapter 520. FIG. 12 is a partially exploded viewof the components of FIG. 11, with the extraction device 572 threadedonto the adapter 520. FIG. 13 is a lengthwise section view of theextraction device 572 of FIG. 11 taken along the line 13-13 as shown inFIG. 11. The extraction device 572 may axially draw, extract, or pullthe adapter 520 from the port 562 by converting or transformingrotational motion of the extraction device 572 into axial motion of theadapter 520, as described in more detail below.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the extraction device 572 may include abase or end wall 574 and a side wall 576 extending axially away from aperiphery of the end wall 574. The end wall 574 may be orientedtransversely, such as perpendicularly, relative to the side wall 576. Anengagement feature, such as a hex nut 578, may be centered on the endwall 574 and may project axially away from the end wall 574. A first end576 a of the side wall 576 may be attached to the end wall 574 andinclude a rounded or chamfered outer edge 577. A second end 576 b of theside wall 576 may define an end face 580 of the extraction device 572(see FIG. 13). A shoulder 584 may be formed in the side wall 576 betweenthe first and second ends 576 a, 576 b. The shoulder 584 may at leastpartially define an annular rim associated with the second or bottom end576 b of the side wall 576.

As shown in FIG. 13, the end wall 574 may extend inwardly from the firstend 576 a of the side wall 576. The end wall 574 may define an externalface 574 a and an opposing internal face 574 b, one or both of which maybe oriented transversely, such as perpendicularly, to a longitudinalaxis 582 of the extraction device 572. The external face 574 a mayprovide an abutment surface for a tool, such as an impact wrench, whichmay be engaged with the hex nut 578. The internal face 574 b may providea stop surface for a confronting end face 520 a of the adapter 520 (seeFIGS. 8, 9, and 11) during axial extraction of the adapter 520 from themanifold 564. The external and internal faces 574 a, 574 b may beparallel or substantially parallel to one another to define a uniform orsubstantially uniform thickness of the end wall 574.

Referring still to FIG. 13, the side wall 576 of the extraction device572 may include an external or outer surface 576 c and an internal orinner surface 576 d. The outer surface 576 c may be cylindrical orsubstantially cylindrical, which may reduce the rotational envelope ofthe extraction device 572 during axial extraction of the adapter 520from the manifold 564. In some implementations the outer surface 576 cof the side wall 576 may define a non-cylindrical section. For example,the outer surface 576 c of the side wall 576 may define an engagementfeature, such as one or more of the engagement features 126, 139, 226,239 shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 5, for interaction with a tool, such as awrench, to facilitate rotation of the extraction device 572 relative tothe manifold 564. Additionally or alternatively, the outer surface 576 cmay include knurling, such as the knurling 138 shown in FIG. 1-2.

The outer surface 576 c of the side wall 576 may step radially inwardlyto define a shoulder 584. The shoulder 584 may be positioned proximateto the end face 580 of the extraction device 572 and may define asurface feature to engage with a pry tool. The pry tool may be leveragedagainst the manifold 564 to apply an additional removal force to theextraction device 572 during withdrawal of the adapter 520 from themanifold 564. The shoulder 584 may extend continuously (such asannularly) or discontinuously around the periphery of the extractiondevice 572. The shoulder 584 may at least partially define an annularbottom rim extending axially from the shoulder 584 to the leading edge580 of the extraction device 572. One or more recesses or apertures maybe formed in the outer surface 576 c of the side wall 576 for engagementby a tool that applies an axial force, a rotational force, or acombination of rotational and axial forces.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, the inner surface 576 d of the sidewall 576 may include a threaded portion 586 that matingly engages theexternal thread 524 of the adapter 520. The threaded portion 586 mayinclude an axial length L2, as shown in FIG. 13. The threaded portion586 may include one or more threads. In implementations with multiplethreads, the threaded portion 586 may engage the externally-threadedportion 524 of the adapter 520 with reduced rotation of the extractiondevice 572 relative to the adapter 520 as the multiple threads mayprovide multiple circumferentially-spaced starting points.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, the threaded portion 586 mayinclude a modified thread termination to facilitate thread engagement.As depicted in FIG. 13, the threaded portion 586 may include a Higbeeflattened thread start or termination 587, which may make the threadeasier to start (by reducing the tendency to cross-thread) and lesssusceptible to damage. The Higbee flat or flattened thread termination587 may eliminate or substantially eliminate a sharp edge that may occurat a terminal end of a thread. The Higbee flattened thread termination587 may be cut through the entire base of the thread or just flatten thesharp edge. With trapezoidal thread forms, such as an Acme thread form,the flat may be created at the width of the thread crest, such that ithas a constant width running from the root to the crest of the thread.

The inner surface 576 d of the side wall 576 may include a leadingnon-threaded portion 588 extending axially between the end face 580 andthe threaded portion 586. The non-threaded portion 588 may reduce thenumber of revolutions of the extraction device 572 about thelongitudinal axis 582 prior to the end face 580 contacting the topsurface 564 a of the manifold 564 (see FIGS. 14-16), thereby reducingthe time needed to extract the adapter 520 from the port 562. Theleading non-threaded portion 588 may have an axial length L1, which mayensure the internally-threaded portion 586 threadedly engages theexternally-threaded portion 524 of the adapter 520 prior to abutment ofthe end face 580 of the extraction device 572 against the top surface564 a of the manifold 564.

With further reference to FIG. 13, the inner surface 576 d of the sidewall 576 may include a trailing non-threaded portion 590 extendingaxially between the threaded portion 586 and the internal face 574 b ofthe end wall 574. The trailing non-threaded portion 590 may easeformation of the threaded portion 586 by separating the threaded portion586 from the internal face 574 b of the end wall 574, which may preventor substantially prevent the formation of an imperfect or incompletethread proximate the end wall 574, thereby reducing binding and/orpremature bottoming-out of the adapter 520 in the extraction device 572.The trailing non-threaded portion 590 may have an axial length L3, whichmay be sized to ensure the externally-threaded portion 524 of theadapter 520 remains in threaded engagement with the internally-threadedportion 586 of the extraction device 572 during removal of the adapter520 from the manifold 564. In some implementations, the confronting endface 520 a of the adapter 520 does not engage the internal face 574 b ofthe extraction device 572 during extraction of the adapter 520 from themanifold 564. In these implementations, the leading edge 580 of theextraction device 572 remains in contact with the top surface 564 a ofthe manifold 564 during the extraction process and rotation of theextraction device 572 results in axial motion of the adapter 520relative to the device 572. Alternatively, in some implementations, theconfronting end face 520 a of the adapter 520 engages the internal face574 b of the extraction device 572 during extraction of the adapter 520from the manifold. In these implementations, after engagement of theconfronting faces 520 a, 574 b, the adapter 520 turns in unison with theextraction device 572.

Referring still to FIG. 13, the leading and trailing non-threadedportions 588, 590 of the inner surface 576 d of the side wall 576 may becylindrical or substantially cylindrical. The threaded portion 586 mayinclude a major diameter that is substantially congruent with theexternally-threaded portion 524 of the adapter 520. The major diameterof the threaded portion 586 may be radially aligned with the leadingnon-threaded portion 588, the trailing non-threaded portion 590, or bothas illustrated in FIG. 13. In implementations where the leadingnon-threaded portion 588 is radially aligned with the major diameter ofthe threaded portion 586, the leading non-threaded portion 588 mayensure axial alignment of the internally-threaded portion 586 of theextraction device 572 and the externally-threaded portion 524 of theadapter 520, thereby preventing or substantially preventingcross-threading, which may be especially beneficial in circumstanceswhere a power wrench, such as an impact wrench, is used.

With continued reference to FIG. 13, the extraction device 572 mayinclude an engagement feature 591 that interacts with a tool, such as animpact wrench, to rotate the extraction device 572 about thelongitudinal axis 582. The engagement feature 591, such as the hex nut578, may project axially away from the external face 574 a of the endwall 574 along the longitudinal axis 582 of the extraction device 572.Additionally or alternatively, the engagement feature 591 may beinternally keyed to facilitate engagement with a complementary keyedtool, such as a hex key or socket driver. An example is shown in FIG.18, in which the extraction device 672 includes an engagement feature691 having a hex nut 678 that is internally keyed with a hexagonalreceptacle 693. As shown in FIG. 13, the end wall 574 may be continuousand close the first end 576 a of the side wall 576. Alternatively, theend wall 574 may be discontinuous. In some implementations, the end wall574 may define an aperture or recess with a keyed shape that accepts orreceives a complementary keyed tool, such as a hex key or socket driver.An example is shown in FIG. 19, in which the extraction device 772includes an engagement feature 791 comprised of a square aperture 795formed in the end wall 774. The engagement feature 591, 691, 791 mayinclude an elliptical, polygonal, or other suitable keyed shape that isoperative to transfer rotational force to the extraction device 572,672, 772 from a tool with a complementary-shaped drive member.

FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 are section views with the adapter 520 in variousstages of removal from the manifold 564. Referring to FIG. 14, theadapter 520 is fully seated within the port 562 defined by the manifold564. The radially-projecting flange 559 of adapter 520 is seated againstan abutment shoulder 596 of the manifold 564, and the sealing element594 is sealingly engaged with an internal wall of the manifold 564. Inthis fully seated position, the facets 526 a of the adapter 520 axiallycorrespond to the transversely-extending bores 566 formed in themanifold 564 so that the arms 542 of the retaining member 540 mayaxially and rotationally secure the adapter 520 to the manifold 564. Byrotationally locking the adapter 520 within the port 562, the retainingmember 540 and corresponding facets 526 a facilitate threaded engagementof the externally-threaded portion 524 of the adapter 520 with aretaining member 130, 230, 430 or other internally-threaded coupler.

Referring still to FIG. 14, the retaining member 540 (see FIGS. 9-12) isremoved from the bores 566 formed in the manifold 564 to permit axialdisplacement of the adapter 520 from the port 562 (upward relative toFIG. 14). The extraction device 572 is positioned over the secondportion 523 of the adapter 520, which is received within the inner space592 of the extraction device 572. The end face 580 of the extractiondevice 572 is axially spaced apart from a confronting face 564 a of themanifold 564 at this removal stage. By threading the extraction device572 onto the second portion 523 of the adapter 520, the extractiondevice 572 advances axially along the adapter 520 until the leading edgeor end face 580 of the extraction device 572 abuts the top confrontingsurface or wall 564 a of the manifold 564. As shown in FIG. 14, theinternally-threaded portion 586 of the extraction device 572 isthreadedly engaged with the externally-threaded portion 524 of theadapter 520.

Referring to FIG. 15, the end face 580 of the extraction device 572 isabutted against a portion of the top surface 564 a of the manifold 564that surrounds the port 562. After abutment, further rotation of theextraction device 572 causes the internally-threaded portion 586 toapply an axial extraction force to the adapter 520 via theexternally-threaded portion 524 of the adapter 520. This axial forcedraws or extracts the adapter 520 from the port 562 by translating theexternally-threaded portion 524 of the adapter 520 relative to theinternally-threaded portion 586 of the extraction device 572. In FIG.15, the extraction device 572 has axially translated the adapter 520 andunseated the flange 559 from the abutment shoulder 596, yet the sealingelement 594 remains in engagement with the internal wall of the port562.

Referring to FIG. 16, the end face 580 of the extraction device 572remains abutted against the confronting face 564 a of the manifold 564.Continued rotation of the extraction device 572 about the adapter 520further extracts the adapter 520. In FIG. 16, the extraction device 572has unseated the sealing element 594 from the internal wall of the port562, and the confronting end face 520 a of the adapter 520 is axiallyspaced apart from the internal face 574 b of the extraction device 572to permit further axial displacement of the adapter 520 from the port562 into the inner space 592 of the extraction device 572. A pry toolmay be engaged with the peripheral shoulder 584 of the extraction device572 during the adapter extraction process to apply an additionalwithdrawal force.

FIG. 17 is a partially exploded view of the components of FIG. 11 withthe adapter 520 removed from the manifold 564. As shown in FIG. 17, uponremoval of the adapter 520 from the manifold 564, the adapter 520 mayremain threadedly engaged with the extraction device 572. In thisconfiguration, the facets 526 a, the flange 559, and the sealing element594 may be exposed, while the externally-threaded portion 524 and theconfronting end face 520 a may be concealed within the extraction device572. To remove the adapter 520 from the extraction device 572, theadapter 520 and/or the extraction device 572 may be rotated relative toone another to unthread the internally-threaded portion 586 of theextraction device 572 from the externally-threaded portion 524 of theadapter 520.

The extraction device may provide a mechanical advantage as a result ofthe internally-threaded portion, which may be useful in applicationswhere an externally-threaded component is seized or stuck in a receivingstructure. The extraction device may allow a secondary extraction forceto be applied, if needed. The extraction device may include anengagement feature associated with an end wall of the extraction deviceto accommodate space constraints.

The foregoing description has broad application. The extraction devicemay be used to axially extract or remove any externally-threadedadapter, connector, coupler, or fitting from a receiving structure wherean external thread is exposed. Accordingly, the discussion of anyexample is meant only to be explanatory and is not intended to suggestthat the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited tothese examples. In other words, while illustrative examples of thedisclosure have been described in detail herein, it is to be understoodthat the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied andemployed, and that the appended claims are intended to be construed toinclude such variations, except as limited by the prior art.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the formor forms disclosed herein. For example, various features of thedisclosure are grouped together in one or more aspects, embodiments, orconfigurations for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. However,it should be understood that various features of the certain aspects,embodiments, or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, or configurations. Moreover, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Descriptionby this reference, with each claim standing on its own as a separateembodiment of the present disclosure.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or”, as used herein,are open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive inoperation. For example, each of the expressions “at least one of A, Band C”, “at least one of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “oneor more of A, B, or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B andC together.

The term “a” or “an” entity, as used herein, refers to one or more ofthat entity. As such, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “atleast one” can be used interchangeably herein.

The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereofherein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalentsthereof as well as additional items. Accordingly, the terms “including,”“comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof are open-endedexpressions and can be used interchangeably herein.

All directional references (e.g., proximal, distal, upper, lower,upward, downward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, front, back, top,bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, radial, axial, clockwise,and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aidthe reader's understanding of the present disclosure, and do not createlimitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use ofthis disclosure. Connection references (e.g., attached, coupled,connected, and joined) are to be construed broadly and may includeintermediate members between a collection of elements and relativemovement between elements unless otherwise indicated. As such,connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements aredirectly connected and in fixed relation to each other. Identificationreferences (e.g., primary, secondary, first, second, third, fourth,etc.) are not intended to connote importance or priority, but are usedto distinguish one feature from another. The drawings are for purposesof illustration only and the dimensions, positions, order and relativesizes reflected in the drawings attached hereto may vary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A one-piece extraction device for removing anadapter from a port formed in a structure, the extraction devicecomprising: an end wall defining an external face of the extractiondevice; and a side wall extending axially away from a periphery of theend wall and terminating at an end face of the extraction device, theend face having a larger dimension than the port so as to abut thestructure adjacent to a periphery of the port, the side wall includingan inner surface and an outer surface, the inner surface having ahelically threaded portion; wherein the end wall closes one end of theside wall; and wherein the inner surface includes a substantiallycylindrical trailing non-threaded portion extending between the threadedportion and the end wall.
 2. The extraction device of claim 1 whereinthe inner surface includes a leading non-threaded portion extendingbetween the end face and the threaded portion.
 3. The extraction deviceof claim 2 wherein: the threaded portion includes a major diameter thatis radially aligned with the trailing non-threaded portion.
 4. Theextraction device of claim 3 wherein: the leading non-threaded portionis substantially cylindrical; and the threaded portion includes a majordiameter that is radially aligned with the leading non-threaded portion.5. The extraction device of claim 1 wherein the outer surface defines ashoulder proximate to the end face and oriented transversely to alongitudinal axis of the extraction device.
 6. The extraction device ofclaim 5 wherein the shoulder is annular.
 7. The extraction device ofclaim 1 further comprising a keyed engagement feature comprising a hexnut that projects axially away from the end wall.
 8. A method of usingthe extraction device of claim 6 comprising: positioning the extractiondevice around a portion of an adapter positioned at least partially in aport in a structure; threadedly engaging the threaded portion with anexternal thread of the adapter by rotating the extraction device aboutthe adapter; abutting the end face of the extraction device against anexternal face of the structure; axially extracting the adapter at leastpartially from the port by continuing to rotate the extraction deviceabout the adapter after the end face of the extraction device is abuttedagainst the external face of the structure.
 9. The method of claim 8further comprising: engaging the external annular shoulder with a prytool and thereby applying an axial force to move the extraction deviceaxially away from the structure.
 10. A one-piece extraction device forremoving an adapter from a port in a structure and the adapter; whereinthe adapter includes an externally non-threaded first portion receivedwithin the port and a second portion protruding from the port, thesecond portion including an external helical thread; the extractiondevice comprising: an axially-extending side wall defining an innerspace that receives the second portion of the adapter, the side wallincluding a leading edge that abuts an external face of the structuresurrounding the port and an internal helical thread configured tothreadedly engage the external helical thread of the adapter prior toabutment of the leading edge with the structure; wherein the extractiondevice is operable to axially pull the adapter from the port; whereinthe extraction device further comprises an end wall extending inwardlyfrom the side wall and defining a closed end of the side wall; andwherein the side wall includes an internal substantially cylindricalnon-threaded portion extending between the internal helical thread andthe end wall.
 11. The extraction device and adapter of claim 10 whereinthe internal thread includes a major diameter that is radially alignedwith the internal non-threaded portion.
 12. The extraction device andadapter of claim 10 further comprising an engagement feature associatedwith the end wall and axially aligned with a longitudinal axis of theextraction device.
 13. The extraction device and adapter of claim 12wherein the engagement feature comprises a hex nut that projects axiallyaway from the end wall.
 14. The extraction device and adapter of claim10 wherein the side wall includes an external, annular shoulderproximate to the leading edge.
 15. The extraction device and adapter ofclaim 10 wherein the side wall is substantially cylindrical.
 16. Theextraction device and adapter of claim 10 wherein the first portion ofthe adapter includes multiple facets that collectively extend around anentire periphery of the adapter.
 17. A method of using the extractiondevice of claim 10 to remove the adapter of claim 10 from the portdefined by the structure, the method comprising: positioning theextraction device around a portion of the adapter; threadedly engagingthe internal thread of the extraction device with the external thread ofthe adapter by rotating the extraction device about the adapter;abutting the leading edge of the extraction device against the externalface of the structure; axially extracting the adapter at least partiallyfrom the port by continuing to rotate the extraction device about theadapter after the leading edge of the extraction device is abuttedagainst the external face of the structure.
 18. The method of claim 17further comprising advancing the extraction device axially along theadapter toward the structure prior to abutting the leading edge againstthe structure by continuing to rotate the extraction device about theadapter.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising engaging anexternal annular shoulder positioned proximate to the leading edge ofthe extraction device with a pry tool and thereby applying an axialforce to move the extraction device axially away from the structure.